Biblical dinosaur? The truth about Leviathan and what it says about God



Among the speakers in the book of Job, the Lord gives the final speech (in Job 38–41) — and the last thing he speaks about is Leviathan.

What is Leviathan? Are there clues in the text or outside of the book that help us identify it? Let’s see what we see.

Structure

First, the structure of Job 38–41:

  • The Lord speaks (38:1–40:2)
  • Job speaks briefly (40:3-5)
  • The Lord speaks (40:6–41:34)

Literarily, Job’s words in 40:3-5 divide the sections 38:1–40:2 and 40:6–41:34. Why might such a division be significant? Because of the content of the respective sections of the Lord’s speech.

In 38:1–40:2, the Lord talks about things like creation, dividing the seas, giving rain, and providing for animals. We’re on board with those topics. They remind us of the things we’ve read in Genesis 1 as well as parts of Psalms that rejoice in God’s power over creation.

But in 40:6–41:34, we face two big topics: Behemoth (40:6-24) and Leviathan (41:1-34). I want to focus on Leviathan. There’s something climactic about this figure because he occupies the last part of the last big speech in the book.

Description

This creature — Leviathan — cannot be easily led or played with (41:1-2, 5). Overcoming Leviathan with harpoons and spears would be impossible (41:7-8). None should dare to rouse this creature (41:9-10). Leviathan has incredible strength, terrifying teeth, and a back of scales (41:12, 14-17). Fire comes from his mouth (41:18-21). Normal human weapons cannot subdue Leviathan (41:26-29). He resides in the sea (41:6–7, 31). Nothing on earth is like this fearless creature (41:33). He is king over all the sons of pride (41:34).

Well, this creature sounds nothing short of horrifying, the stuff of nightmares. A common view that’s held about Leviathan is that he is a dinosaur. References to great strength (41:12), scales around the body (41:15-17), and his teeth (41:14) might all be mustered as evidence of this identification.

But I don’t think Leviathan represents a dinosaur.

Leviathan is best understood as a poetic depiction of the evil one — Satan himself. Consider eight pieces of evidence that, when taken in a cumulative fashion, make a strong case for Leviathan being Satan.

Evidence

First, Job’s words in 40:3-5 are a literary division between what God spoke about in 38:1–40:2 and then in 40:6–41:34. In 38:1–40:2, we read about things in creation we’re familiar with. But in 40:6–41:34, we’re encountering ... something else.

Second, the language about the creature challenges human dominion. If Leviathan was an animal, then we would expect the language of Genesis 1:28 to apply to him. God created image-bearers to exercise dominion over creation, to subdue the creatures he made. But in Job 41, something is different. Leviathan is something that man cannot subdue.

Third, the creature breathes fire. In 41:18-21, the description of a fire-breathing monster strains our ability to correlate him with a known creature in the present or the past.

Fourth, the figure Leviathan has parallels with ancient Near Eastern stories. The ancient world viewed the sea as a place of chaos, untamable by man. The deep was foreboding and unforgiving. Here is a creature — a sea monster — showing fearlessness and who is a threat to those around him. Eric Ortlund writes that “YHWH is speaking to Job within Job’s cultural framework, drawing upon symbols common to the ANE [Ancient Near East] and the Old Testament, both in order to assure Job that God is more intimately acquainted with the magnitude and malignity of the evil at work in his world than Job ever could be, and to promise him that God will one day defeat it.”

Fifth, the figure Leviathan is mentioned in Psalms. In Psalm 74:14: “You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” Heads? Yes, that’s plural. In Psalm 74:14, Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster. And in Psalm 104:24-26, God has established the great sea where Leviathan dwells. With the sea being a place of chaos and evil, this multiheaded sea monster is more likely a personification of evil than a dinosaur.

Sixth, the figure Leviathan is mentioned in Isaiah. In Isaiah 27:1, we read, “In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Again, Leviathan is associated with the sea — evil. But what else do we read? The words serpent and dragon. These terms are strong clues that are reinforced by Genesis 3 and by Revelation 12 and 20. Satan is the deceiving serpent, and he is the raging dragon. And in Isaiah 27:1, the day of his judgment is promised. We can use language about Leviathan outside of the book of Job to help us understand Leviathan inside the book of Job.

Seventh, consider how the book of Job begins. God speaks in Job 1–2. And with whom does he speak? Satan himself. Satan is a problem in the beginning of the book. He’s traveling throughout the earth with his malevolent purposes (1:7; 2:2). What if we thought of the book of Job as having an inclusio with the figure that is Satan? He would be referenced in Job 1–2 by name and then in Job 41 by poetic depiction. Job faces evil at the beginning of the book, and at the end of the book he learns that God has dominion over Leviathan. Though man cannot defeat evil, God can. In chapters 1–2, God speaks to Satan about Job, and in chapter 41 he speaks to Job about Satan.

Eighth, the word Leviathan appears early in Job. In 3:8, Job says, “Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.” If Leviathan is associated with evil — and the evil one — then the first occurrence of the word is literarily interesting because it appears right after chapters 1 and 2 where Satan speaks and seeks to subdue Job.

Conclusion

Evidence inside and outside scripture suggests that Leviathan represents evil, even the evil one himself who has opposed Job and all God’s people. Robert Fyall says, "Leviathan is a guise of Satan."

At the beginning of the book, the reader clearly sees that Job cannot subdue the evil one. Satan is untamable by man, like a multiheaded sea beast in the waters of chaos. But God can overcome Leviathan. According to Jim Hamilton, "The whole book is bracketed by Yahweh’s enticing Satan to do his bidding at the beginning, and by his putting a hook in Leviathan’s nose at the end."

Yahweh rules over the deep. Evil will not have the last word.

When God begins to speak in 38:1, he’s talking about his own sovereign authority and dominion. Nothing is outside his control. The Lord reigns over his creatures. But the problem in the book of Job isn’t with the animal world. The reader is rightly concerned about suffering and evil and the sinister one known as Satan. So the climactic part of God’s words in the final speech is reserved for this. The good news isn’t that God can subdue a dinosaur. The good news is that evil will answer to the Lord.

Who can slay mighty Leviathan? God — who is mightier — can and will.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.

Woke mercy: Biblical truth exposes critical flaw in bishop's message to Trump



Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde became the newest figure of the resistance when she told Donald Trump to have "mercy" and "compassion" on illegal immigrants and the LGBTQ community, which includes, according to her, "transgender children."

Politics aside, Budde's message raises an important question: Did Budde speak truthfully in a manner consistent with her vocation as a bishop in the church and as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Did the message reflect the complete biblical truth?

Upon close examination, the answer is clear: No.

There is no doubt that Budde appealed to important Christian values (i.e., "mercy" and "compassion"). Mercy and compassion are first principles of Christian ethics, and Christianity historically has been the most merciful and most compassionate to vulnerable and oppressed people. That Budde stood in front of the most powerful man on earth and demanded he demonstrate such ethics led to praise for having a "prophetic" voice because she spoke "truth to power."

But what exactly does it mean to show mercy and have compassion?

The Bible says a lot about mercy and compassion. Perhaps most important is what God says about himself in relation to these attributes.

Exodus 34:6-7 says:

"And [God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God of compassion and grace, slow to anger, and abounding in covenant faithfulness and truth, maintaining covenant love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. However, he does not wholly acquit, regarding the iniquity of the fathers toward sons and sons of sons, to the third generation and the fourth.'"

God identifies compassion and mercy as attributes central to his character. But God connects his mercy, compassion, and covenant love to his justice, holiness, and truth.

Biblical mercy and biblical compassion do not ignore sin, injustice, or unrighteousness. Rather, to show mercy and to have compassion is to give someone a free, unearned gift having been moved by their need. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly demonstrates mercy and compassion, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and forgiving sins.

But the focus of his ministry was to declare the gospel, the good news about the kingdom of God. That announcement always includes a call to repentance.

Jesus says in Mark 1:15, "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"

It is clear from scripture that "mercy" and "compassion" are values that transcend emotional empathy. They are not mere sentiments or abstract virtues. Mercy and compassion are relational and practical — and they're always tethered to God's truth. God demonstrates his mercy and compassion not only through meeting physical needs but also through providing for spiritual needs, ultimately extending to us the free gift of salvation and leading us into reconciliation with him.

In a biblical framework, justice, truth, mercy, and compassion are intertwined — never divorced (Micah 6:8).

This is the flaw with Budde's message.

While Budde's call to action is dressed up with Christian language and emphasizes grace, she redefines "mercy" and "compassion" in a way that reflects secular values like affirmation, unconditional acceptance, and emotional empathy. The result is a message devoid of the gospel and untethered from biblical truth.

God's mercy is a free gift that extends grace and confronts sin, ultimately inviting us to faith and obedience.

Mercy and compassion without truth, repentance, and justice become sin-enabling affirmation.

As C.S. Lewis famously wrote, "Mercy, detached from justice, grows unmerciful."

Budde wants mercy and compassion for the LGBTQ community. But does she, like God, want their repentance?

Mercy and compassion for the LGBTQ community requires the gospel, a call to repentance and an invitation to the freedom that is found only in Christ. Importantly, mercy and compassion for "transgender children" also includes protecting them from the lie of trans ideology and from those who enable them to mutilate their bodies.

God's mercy is a free gift that extends grace and confronts sin, ultimately inviting us to faith and obedience.

Christians must care for the vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the sojourner. It's what Christians have always done, and it's what Christians will continue doing.

But true mercy not only alleviates physical needs; it provides spiritual provision, drawing people to God through Christ.

By focusing on alleged societal fears in a message that reeked of progressive politics, Budde neglected God's whole truth and failed to communicate the transformative power of the gospel, which Christ demonstrates through his mercy and compassion on sinners.

Budde's message comforts liberal ears, but it neglects Christ and God's truth.

It’s Time To Stop Perverting Christianity To Push Marxism

God does not smile when church leaders use his name to lead people astray.

Christian call to action: Pray for President Trump



We must pray for President Donald Trump as he begins his second presidency.

Christians should pray for Trump not only because we are instructed to pray for our authorities but because praying for Trump is wise (Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 28:2; Romans 13:1; Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). Praying for Trump is wise because he is responsible for leading our nation, and his leadership — whether good or bad — directly impacts us all.

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Praying for our leaders is good for us and for them. But how exactly should we pray for Trump?

Here are some prompts:

  • Pray that God blesses and protects him, his family, and his staff.
  • Pray that God blesses and guides Trump's decision-making.
  • Pray that Trump and his entire administration do not rely on their own wisdom, but depend on God's.
  • Pray that Trump first and foremost seeks God's will.
  • We should pray that Trump, as the 47th president, is humble, grace-filled, a peacemaker, full of mercy, obedient to God, impartial and just, full of integrity, and courageous.
  • Pray that Trump is a faithful instrument that accomplishes God's will.
  • Pray for the salvation of those in Trump's administration.

A prayer for President Trump

O gracious heavenly Father, ruler of all, King of the universe,

Please pour out Your blessing on President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, their families, and the Trump administration. Guide and direct their leadership, granting them wisdom to lead our nation with humility, peace, grace, mercy, justice, and obedience to You.

We pray that Trump, Vance, and everyone in the government do not rely on their own wisdom but depend on Yours. Grant them, O Father, Your wisdom.

O merciful Father, we pray that You will guide their paths and that under President Trump and Vice President Vance, our nation will flourish and its people — Your people — will flourish.

We pray for peace in our nation and that all citizens would respect the authorities that You have established for a time such as this.

And O gracious Father, we pray that You would initiate a revival in this land, that under President Trump and Vice President Vance, Your church may do its holy work in peace and safety and that your announcement of good news — that through Jesus' death and resurrection, salvation is available to all souls — falls on fertile soil and Your harvest is bountiful.

We pray, O supreme ruler, that Your will is done in America and on earth as it is in heaven.

Now to you, O gracious Father, Whom we trust are able to accomplish more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to the power of Your Spirit that is at work within us, be glory in our nation, Your church, and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

A prayer from the Book of Common Prayer

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Woke bishop tries to lecture Trump about LGBT agenda, immigration — but the Bible fires back



A radical Episcopal bishop gave President Donald Trump a stern lecture on Tuesday during a prayer service meant to encourage national unity.

About halfway through the service at the Washington National Cathedral, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, used the end of her sermon to scold President Trump.

God makes a human either male or female; he does not make mistakes.

First, she advocated that Trump "have mercy" on LGBTQ-identifying Americans.

"Millions have put their trust in you. As you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," Budde said. "There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in both Democratic, Republican, and independent families who fear for their lives."

Then she turned to illegal immigrants, using a dehumanizing argument that contradicts federal law.

"The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat-packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals," Budde said. "They may not be citizens, or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors."

— (@)

Budde further pleaded that Trump "have mercy" on people "in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.

"Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land," she said. "May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, and walk humbly with each other and our God."

The problems with Budde's comments are obvious.

First, despite many claims otherwise, the Bible and Christianity do not support the LGBTQ agenda.

This, of course, does not mean that people who identify as LGBTQ are not made in the image of God with the same inherent worth and dignity as every other human. But God created humanity to reflect a binary of biological sex: male and female (Genesis 1-2). And God's word teaches that it is only through the covenant of marriage that humans should engage in sex, an ethic that Jesus and the apostles upheld (Matthew 5:27-30, 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 5-7; Romans 1:24; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:19).

The problem with the LGBTQ agenda is that it not only promotes a type of "marriage" and sexual relations that God does not ordain, but it leads adherents to make their core identity about who they are attracted to or what type of people they want to have sex with.

God, however, wants all humans to make their identity congruent with a Christian ontology, that is, as the apostle Paul would say, to be "in Christ."

Importantly, Trump's belief and declaration that only two sexes exist — male and female — reflect God's truth. God makes a human either male or female; he does not make mistakes, and people are not born into "the wrong body."

Second, God's commands to be extremely generous to immigrants were given to Israel (e.g., Leviticus 19:33-34). This does not mean it is not God's wisdom to have mercy on and care for immigrants and the vulnerable among us. To the contrary, Christians have historically been the most generous to such people.

What it does mean, however, is that God did not give such commands to modern nation-states like the United States. It is a wise command, but its historical context must be respected. Moreover, the apostle Paul implores Christians to submit to "the governing authorities" because "there is no authority except that which God has established" (Romans 13:1). In this case, the U.S. is a nation of laws — including immigration law. Moreover, the vast majority of illegal immigrants are not violent criminals who have committed further crimes since arriving in the U.S., but by nature of residing illegally in the U.S., criminality is involved.

Finally, Budde repeatedly appears to abuse words like "compassion" and "mercy" to justify a progressive agenda, using the terms to mean affirming and approving the LGBTQ agenda and a liberal view of immigration policy. But to have mercy and compassion on people is not limited to adopting a progressive worldview. And certainly, Budde's identification of immigrants as people who merely "pick our crops," clean office buildings, and wash dishes is dehumanizing.

Trump was later asked for his thoughts about the service.

"Not too exciting," he reportedly said. "They could do much better."

Budde, meanwhile, hides neither her woke views nor her apparent disdain for President Trump, telling an ABC News reporter in the midst of the 2020 racial uprisings, "We need to replace President Trump."

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Beyond counterfeit Christianity: Facing evil and finding God in a broken world



In October 2021, I moderated a lively debate on the college campus of the University of Texas at Austin. As I waited to return home at the departure gate of the Austin, Texas, airport, a passenger on our flight swaggered up wearing a shocking T-shirt that read: “Jesus is a c**t” (except there were no asterisks).

Wow. The profane message sparked an audible, hushed buzzing among my fellow passengers. Eventually a flight attendant called the man up and convinced him to turn the shirt inside out before letting him board the plane. I was grateful the guy didn’t erupt into launching fists, because he was clearly a troubled soul.

I strongly reject the message of that guy’s shirt, and I was grateful I wasn’t seated next to him.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. But some Christians do behave in the most wretched fashion, and I wondered who, while invoking Christ’s name, might have hurt this man? After all, it was the most religious people who used their political pressure to get Jesus killed, and it was the apostle Judas, one of the first Christians, who lethally betrayed the son of God. Human nature doesn’t change. Why should we expect better from Christians today?

As former slave turned abolitionist Frederick Douglass put it: “Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference.” I myself would be blind not to acknowledge my own flawed nature; my sharp tongue and temper sometimes make me a terrible ambassador for Christ.

Indeed, there is a cavernous difference between human-run religion and divine relationship. Divine relationship with God is not religion. Mathematically expressed: lowercase religion ≠ uppercase Relationship.

Our society today, young people especially, is turning away from institutions. Trust across the board is crumbling, whether it's in government, schools, medicine, or religion. As someone deeply abused by very religious people and agnostic for almost 12 years, I thought that if God exists, he's probably an a**hole because he allowed this to happen to me, or he's just indifferent, or he's someone who is proactively hurting people, since people use his name to do horrific things.

But the truth is that evil deeds done in God’s name are like a knockoff Gucci purse with a big fake “G.” Clearly a false, flimsy imitation.

Pew Research found that far more Americans (55%) think religion is a force for good than bad (20%), while 24% said it doesn’t have much impact. Following the COVID-19 scourge that killed millions of people and devastated global economies, Pew also found in November 2021 that this hadn’t shaken Americans’ faith in God. Pew reported that 80% of Americans say most of the suffering in the world comes from people — not God. Just 14% of U.S. adults said that “sometimes I think the suffering in the world is an indication that there is no God.”

In my walk in darkness as a bitter agnostic, I was out of sync with most Americans. My suffering came mostly from other human beings: my father and other family members, myself, indifferent and sometimes harmful church leaders, toxic co-workers, and toxic dating partners. Rather than leaning into God for help, I walked away from the very source that would have helped me heal.

Unfortunately, I’m far from alone.

Young people in record numbers are turning away from God, the very life force that brings lasting hope. And it’s killing us. Women who attend religious services at least once a week are 68% less likely to die “deaths of despair,” including from suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol poisoning. Men are 33% less likely, according to 2020 research led by Harvard University’s School of Public Health. A January 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research working paper found that states with pronounced drops in religious attendance correlated with sharper increases in deaths of despair, and vice versa.

I learned through my conversion that God can handle all our anger, rage, sorrow, and fear. He is bigger than any questions we have about evil deeds done in His name. So it's good to ask questions; it's good to scrutinize the behavior of Christians and people of all religions.

As Ronald Reagan said, “We must be cautious in claiming God is on our side. I think the real question we must answer is, are we on His side?” That’s a question I’ll be asking my entire life.

I understand the need to shine a bright searchlight on America’s sins and not ignore or hide them and their generational effects. But sin is not the end of the story — redemption and the pursuit of "a more perfect union” are what give me hope for the future. We are a country that has broken generational curses, and while we can’t change human nature, we can, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, bend the arc of the universe toward justice.

God is not about controlling us; He gave us free will. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

God wants us to have inner peace and gather us under His protection, but He will not force us. That’s a process we must willingly start on our own, though He will help us each day as we humbly ask for help.

This essay is adapted with permission from chapter 17 of “Motorhome Prophecies A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness,”published by Hachette Book Group.

Mike Johnson fires back perfect response when reporter disputes Christian view of Genesis: 'Male and female, he made them'



House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is defending the truth of the gender binary in which God created humans.

On Tuesday, the House passedthe Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which prohibits biological males from playing on the same sports teams as women from elementary school through college. The bill became necessary because a growing number of biological males claim to be transgender athletes and demand that their gender identity not stop them from competing against biological females.

'I'm a Bible-believing Christian and make no apology about that.'

After passing the bill, Johnson said House Republicans had decided to stand up for "what is right and what is common sense."

"We know from scripture, and from nature, that men are men and women are women, and men cannot become women," Johnson added.

"It's sad that we have to say that," the speaker said. "It's a matter of biology. It's how we're made."

Several minutes later, Johnson was forced to defend the truth when a reporter asked him why he believes Genesis teaches that God created a gender binary when some ultra-progressive Christians have invented novel interpretations to justify LGBTQ theory.

The reporter said:

You led off saying that a man is a man and a woman is a woman ... and that's what Scripture teaches. ... Can you say why you think Christian Scripture teaches that? I'm curious about your response to various different Christian traditions that interpret Scripture differently, who ordain openly transgender people.

But Johnson did not budge and responded by quoting Genesis 1:27.

"Well, it goes back to the first book — Genesis: male and female, he made them," Johnson said.

"I'm not sure there’s another interpretation, but everybody's open to interpreting Scripture however they will.

"But this comports with common sense, as well. So we know it from our religious tradition, which I believe is the truth — I'm a Bible-believing Christian and make no apology about that," Johnson continued. "But whether you regard that as truth or not, it's also nature. It's biology, and biology is not bigotry."

LGBTQ-identifying Christian ministers condemn Johnson, a Baptist, for his "absurd" interpretation, but Johnson is merely defending a position the Christian church has always held. In fact, outside the liberal Western world, where the majority of the church exists today, the "traditional" position on gender and sex ethics remains the unquestioned norm.

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God's judgment? Franklin Graham answers important question about California wildfires



Are the destructive California wildfires a demonstration of God's judgment?

Wildfires are still ravaging southern California, leaving in their wake burned-down homes and destroyed lives — and the blame game has already begun.

'If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence?'

Who is responsible for the scale of destruction? Was this simply an unavoidable weather event? Can we blame so-called climate change? How about arson? Or are the progressive, liberal policies that dominate Los Angeles and California the real culprit? The recriminations will go on for weeks and months to come.

But what about divine judgment?

Franklin Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, answered that important question in a recent interview with Premier.

"People have lost everything. A lot of people are asking 'Why?' and that's a hard question to answer. We want to reassure them of God's love — that He cares for them and that He hasn’t turned His back on them," Graham said. "The reality is we're going to have more storms like this. It's not going to get less, and the most important thing that we as Christians can do is make sure everyone understands that God loves them.

"And that when storms like this come, it's not God's judgment. I don't believe that for a second. We know that God loves us," he continued. "Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so."

The more important question, Graham explained, is whether one is reconciled to God through his Son, Jesus Christ — an invitation that is open to all.

"The question is: Do we know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to stand before Him? If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence? Would God receive us?" he said. "And the only way we can be sure is by confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness and, by faith, believing on the name of the Lord Jesus, Christ, who took our sins and died on a cross. He was buried, and on the third day, God raised him to life.

"And if we're willing to believe that, just accept that by faith and ask Christ into our hearts, then God will forgive our sins. We can have that assurance, knowing that whatever storms come our way in life, we'll be prepared to stand before God," Graham said.

Graham's ministry, Samaritan's Purse, already has plans to help the victims of the wildfires.

The ministry, when it receives the green light, will deploy trucks, equipment, and disaster-relief supplies. Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are also on the ground offering support for victims.

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Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard Reminds Us Why We Should Place Our Trust In The Lord

Notre Dame football player Riley Leonard is making a name for himself — and not just because of his performance on the field. After leading his team to a win (27-24) against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday to advance to the College Football Championship, the Fighting Irish quarterback gave resounding praise of God’s […]

Texas pastor hit by tornado with 138 mph winds, capsizing his fishing boat. Yet he says, 'God can see you through the storm.'



A Texas pastor shared a stirring New Year's Day message on YouTube after a tornado with winds of 138 miles per hour — an EF-3 — capsized his fishing boat last weekend.

"God can see you through the storm," Brian Johnson of First Baptist Church Winnie said in the video. "You can trust him. You can count on him."

'Many of you are in a storm, or maybe you’re just coming out of one or maybe there’s one on the horizon.'

The harrowing ordeal commenced while Johnson, his dog, and a friend of Johnson's named Tony were fishing in the Stanolind Reservoir on Dec. 28, KTRK-TV reported. The reservoir is about 10 minutes south of Winnie, and Winnie is about an hour east of Houston.

Johnson said in his video that the barometric pressure was changing and the thought was that it would provide "good fishing" — plus, the storm appeared to be headed north.

But neither assumption came to pass, and the tornado soon engulfed the fishing boat — and Johnson's YouTube video captures how quickly things became life-threatening.

KTRK said Johnson and his friend tried to anchor the boat in the reeds and ride out the storm — but the boat soon capsized.

"I'm holding on to the boat 'cause I'm holding onto it from the bottom now, 'cause the wind is just ripping," Johnson later explained to the station. "And I'm like, 'It's gonna pick me up out of this water any second.' So I'm trying to hold on, but I can't find Tony. So I'm hollering for Tony, and now I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, my friend is dead. He's drowned under this boat or something.' So I'm pulling on the boat, trying to lift it up. I'm hollering for him, beating on the boat, and nothing."

Turns out that Johnson's friend was hiding under the boat, and both and Johnson and Johnson's dog were unharmed, KTRK reported.

You can view the station's video report here about Johnson's ordeal.

And now for 'the rest of the story'

Johnson titled his YouTube video, "Tornado in my boat... the rest of the story" — and in it he's seen on a sunny day with his fishing pole in hand and right back at the reservoir where all the action happened.

Image source: YouTube video screenshot, used by permission

But he also acknowledged to viewers that he didn't make a good choice that Saturday: “I made a poor decision that put me in the middle of a storm."

However, Johnson added that God showed him a much greater spiritual truth.

“Let me tell you something, my friends: In life, we all make poor decisions," Johnson said. "And in life, we all go through some storms. But I want you to know that even though this was my fault that I was out here, God was with me in the middle of the storm."

He added, "Many of you are in a storm, or maybe you’re just coming out of one or maybe there’s one on the horizon. I want you to know, whether it’s your fault or not, God can see you through the storm. You can trust him. You can count on him. He loves you so much that he sent his son to die on a cross for you. If you trust in him, he’ll give you everlasting life.”

Johnson also said he believes this particular storm was God-ordained and that now it's "all about me being able to give you the testimony and [being] able to share with you that God saw me through a storm.”

“It’s not about me. It’s about God,” he also said. “The God that I serve is amazing, and he loves you, my friends …"

Johnson couldn't resist a little bit of practical advice to close things out: "On a side note, don’t go fishing in tornadoes."

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